The invention relates to a stuffing cassette for use in a typewriter or printer wherein a stuffing space is provided in the cassette. A ribbon is transported out of the stuffing space at one point and at another point the ribbon is stuffed into the space by an external drive.
Cassettes containing a ribbon required for printing on the recording medium are employed in recent typewriters and similar devices.
A variety of embodiments of these ribbon cassettes are known. The ribbon in the cassette can be wound on a fixed or displaceable supply reel from which it is transported to a fixed or displaceable takeup reel. Due to the employed reels, guides and the drive, these ribbon cassettes which, of course, are thrown away after use, are relatively costly.
Another known ribbon cassette is known as the stuffing cassette. With this type of cassette, the ribbon is accommodated in a so-called stuffing space. It is withdrawn from this space at one side and is stuffed in at the other side by a drive. In the simplest case, the drive consists of two drive capstans between which the ribbon is transported.
There are two types of designs for stuffing cassettes, namely with and without separate drive. The unit without separate drive employs external drive. The stuffing cassette with external drive is therefore cheaper but has the disadvantage that the dangling ribbon must be manually inserted in the drive of the cassette acceptance means. The danger that the hands of the operator will be dirtied with ink therefore exists.